Compact Warehouse with Flexibility and Scalability
Leuze electronic GmbH + Co. KG
To stay competitive in today’s market, businesses must optimise their supply chain operations to ensure fast and accurate order fulfilment. Leuze electronic, a global leader in optical sensors and industrial safety solutions, recognised the need to improve their response and delivery times by automating their distribution processes.
However, designing the right intralogistics solution presented a challenge. The new system had to handle performance peaks, support complex picking tasks, and remain flexible enough to scale with growing product demand.
Recognising the complexity of the project, Leuze electronic turned to intralogistics experts GEBHARDT. Our task was to fully automate the intralogistics processes at their new distribution centre.
To meet their needs, we implemented advanced internal conveying and storage technology. The new system solution efficiently manages peak performance demands without being oversized. It is also designed to flexibly support Leuze’s future growth strategies.
A Holistic Solution Across Different Storage Areas
We created several key storage areas to handle daily tasks – a floor-level pallet warehouse, a high-bay warehouse and an automated miniload warehouse.
In addition to automated storage areas, we also installed new conveyor systems, ergonomic picking workstations and our own warehouse management software (WMS), GEBHARDT StoreWare.
The miniload warehouse was implemented as a two-aisle shuttle system, with each aisle containing 38 levels and equipped with five GEBHARDT StoreBiter® One-Level Shuttles (OLS).
The warehouse was designed to maximise storage density, providing ample storage capacity while minimising space usage.
The GEBHARDT StoreBiter® One-Level Shuttles were used to automate the storage and retrieval of product containers. With these state-of-the-art shuttles, Leuze electronic significantly improved both throughput rates and order accuracy.
A vertical lift in the aisle's front zone transports the shuttle with the container to the respective storage or retrieval position.
The new system was developed through close collaboration between both parties. Leuze contributed its sensor technology, which works together with GEBHARDT StoreWare® to manage conveyor operations. Units are now quickly moved by the conveyor system to one of three multifunctional picking workstations.
Each workstation is designed specifically for Leuze’s picking process and features height-adjustable lifting platforms to improve ergonomics.
"The collaboration over the entire project period was great. Within twelve months, we built the new distribution warehouse and together with GEBHARDT, we implemented a flexible and scalable automated miniload warehouse and moved in and went live within 2.5 days. We are very satisfied with the overall project result. After twelve months implementation period, we now have exactly what we wanted. A high-performance system from GEBHARDT."
Ibrahim Zuva, Director of Logistics at Leuze
GEBHARDT Realises a Perfectly Sized Distribution Centre at Leuze
For over 50 years, Leuze electronic GmbH + Co KG has been an international sensor expert in the automation technology industry. Worldwide, more than 1,200 employees at six production sites, 21 subsidiaries and over 40 distributors contribute to the success and growth of the company. Together with the GEBHARDT Intralogistics Group located in Sinsheim, the company realised an internal conveyor and storage technology that optimally absorbs performance peaks without being oversized and can be flexibly adapted to future growth strategies. The heart of the new distribution centre is the GEBHARDT StoreBiter® One-Level-Shuttle-Warehouse with ten shuttle vehicles and 38 levels.